Maine follows tradition in supporting President Obama

Wednesday

Nov 7, 2012 at 8:54 PMNov 7, 2012 at 8:55 PM

By Oliver Jenkinsojenkins@fosters.com

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine - In a state that overwhelmingly backs Democratic presidential candidates, Maine proved no different Tuesday - with President Barack Obama collecting roughly 56 percent of the state’s support en route to his successful re-election bid.

On Tuesday, local communities such as South Berwick, North Berwick, and Eliot all voted in favor of President Obama over Republican challenger Mitt Romney, who was hoping to strip away one of the state’s electoral votes from the president.

Obama trumped Romney in South Berwick by a vote of 2,276 to 1,626, in North Berwick by a vote of 1,361 to 1,266, and in Eliot by a vote of 2,210 to 1,644.

Berwick was the lone exception to the trend, with residents voting 1,812 to 1,733 in support of Romney over Obama.

The last time Maine voted in favor of a Republican presidential candidate was back in 1988 when George H.W. Bush won the state over Democratic challenger Michael Dukakis.

Maine is one of two states that splits its electoral votes, allocating them in part by congressional districts. Republicans were hoping to wrestle an electoral vote away from Obama by winning the 2nd Congressional District - an enormous region comprising roughly 80 percent of the state.

Ultimately, however, Obama won all four of Maine’s electoral votes by securing both the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts Tuesday.